China Xinchang--Tech innovation fuels new growth in manufacturing

Xinchang County, Shaoxing City, located in the mountainous area of eastern Zhejiang, has emerged in the national county economy in recent years. This small county with a permanent population of less than 410,000 not only has 15 A-share listed companies, but also ranks first among county-level cities in the province in terms of total market value of manufacturing in 2024. Winning the highest award in Zhejiang Province's manufacturing industry, "Tiangong Ding", for three consecutive years has also made this resource-poor mountainous county a "dark horse" in regional development.

So, how can a small city with neither obvious location advantages nor abundant natural resources achieve a breakthrough against the trend?

"We don't have too many innate conditions to rely on, and we are more thinking about 'what to fight for'." Lv Changjun, director of the Xinchang County Economic and Information Bureau, said frankly. In his view, the key to the development of advanced manufacturing in mountainous counties lies in the improvement of scientific and technological innovation capabilities, and a development path with technology as the core driving force must be taken.

Five-year leap: steady improvement in industrial capacity

In the past five years, Xinchang's industry has achieved a transformation from quantity to quality. The number of industrial enterprises above designated size increased from 294 to 418, the industrial output value above designated size jumped from 46.5 billion yuan to 80.6 billion yuan, and the added value also increased from 12.8 billion yuan to 21.3 billion yuan. Behind these data are the local systematic efforts to continuously promote industrial upgrading and optimize the industrial structure.

As early as the beginning of the "14th Five-Year Plan", Xinchang issued a series of policy documents, taking intelligent manufacturing as the main direction to promote the high-quality development of the manufacturing industry. At present, the three major industrial clusters of high-end equipment manufacturing, life health and automotive parts are developing in a coordinated manner, traditional industries are accelerating transformation, and emerging industries are accelerating layout.

Small bearings drive big industries

As a nationally renowned "Chinese Bearing Hometown", Xinchang has more than 600 related enterprises, more than 30,000 employees, and an annual output value of more than 10 billion yuan. However, in the face of intensified industry competition and accelerated technological iteration, Xinchang chose to use digital means to reshape the industrial chain.

The "Bearing Industry Brain" launched locally helps companies achieve full-process digital transformation in R&D, production, management and other links. Leading enterprises such as Zhejiang Siling Automotive Bearing Co., Ltd. have built highly automated production lines, using 5G technology and smart sensors to achieve real-time monitoring of equipment status, greatly improving efficiency and product quality.

In 2023, Xinchang rolling bearing industry cluster was successfully selected as a national-level small and medium-sized enterprise characteristic industry cluster, marking the further consolidation of its industrial position nationwide.

Extending to future industries: from traditional parts to core components of robots

With the continuous deepening of technological accumulation, Xinchang is gradually expanding the traditional product of bearings to emerging fields. For example, Hainarenhe Company has entered the market of industrial robots, drones and service robots with its micro high-precision tapered roller bearings. Its products can maintain stable operation in high-intensity operating environments and become key components in many high-tech fields.

This industrial extension is not accidental, but the result of Xinchang's active layout of future industries. At present, many local companies, including Sanhua and Wuzhou Xinchun, have joined the general intelligent robot track. Relying on a mature bearing supply chain system and cluster effect, Xinchang is building a future-oriented smart manufacturing ecosystem.

"Internal and external efforts" promote project implementation

In addition to guiding local enterprises to transform and upgrade, Xinchang also attaches great importance to the introduction of external high-quality projects. At the beginning of this year, the county signed a batch of key projects with a total investment of 18.26 billion yuan, covering intelligent manufacturing, new energy, new materials and other fields. Among them, the humanoid robot and intelligent automobile manufacturing project invested by Wuzhou Xinchun Group with a total investment of 5 billion yuan will further fill the gap in the precision transmission system in the Yangtze River Delta region.

At the same time, Xinchang is also fully supporting the development and growth of local enterprises. In 2024, the county will complete the supply of 1,384 mu of land, of which endogenous projects account for nearly 70%. Through innovative mechanisms such as "data for land", the government helps enterprises accurately match land use needs and effectively ensures the implementation of projects.

Data shows that a total of 216 local investment projects were completed in the county that year, with a cumulative investment of 4.84 billion yuan, accounting for nearly 90% of the total investment in the manufacturing industry.

Looking to the future: Building a strong county of advanced manufacturing

At present, Xinchang is focusing on the main line of new industrialization, focusing on the cultivation of new quality productivity, and coordinating the six strategic measures of industrial clustering, enterprise subjectivity, project diversification, innovation normalization and service precision.

By continuously strengthening scientific and technological empowerment, optimizing the business environment and deepening the integration of industry and finance, Xinchang is moving steadily towards the goal of building a strong county of advanced manufacturing. This once inconspicuous mountain town is writing a unique path of county economic development with innovation-driven as the engine.